The briefing for Sunday, December 28.

The Trump administration announced a massive $11 billion arms package to Taiwan, including 82 HIMARS rocket systems, 420 ATACMS missiles, 60 self-propelled howitzers, and over $1 billion in drones. The package, if approved by Congress, would be the largest-ever U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan, exceeding the $8.4 billion in arms sales during the Biden administration.

China responded swiftly with sanctions on 20 U.S. defense companies and 10 executives, including Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Maritime Services, Boeing's St. Louis division, and Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey. Beijing froze their assets in China and banned them from entering the country, calling Taiwan "the first red line that must not be crossed" in U.S.-China relations.

The escalation highlights the growing strategic competition over Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province that must reunify with the mainland. Under federal law, the U.S. is obligated to assist Taiwan's self-defense, but China's military has increased its presence around the island with near-daily joint drills, raising analyst concerns about potential military conflict between the two superpowers.

President Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday as peace negotiations to end nearly four years of war reached a critical juncture. Zelenskyy said the 20-point draft proposal is "about 90% ready," with key issues including territory, security guarantees, and funding for Ukraine's postwar recovery still under discussion.

Ukraine has proposed creating a demilitarized zone in the contested Donbas region, with Zelenskyy indicating willingness to withdraw troops if Russia also pulls back and international forces monitor the area. The U.S. has agreed to offer NATO-like security guarantees to Ukraine, while Zelenskyy said he would drop his country's bid to join the alliance in exchange for adequate protection against future Russian attacks.

The meeting came as Russia intensified missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, apparently seeking to pressure Ukraine at the negotiating table. Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Christmas Day about "substantive details," warning that "the weeks ahead may also be intensive" as negotiators work to resolve remaining sensitive issues.

The Trump administration announced it will begin garnishing wages of student loan borrowers in default starting the week of January 7, with notices going to approximately 1,000 borrowers initially. The action affects millions of borrowers who are 270 days past due on their payments, with the scale of notices increasing each month after the required 30-day warning period.

This marks the end of pandemic-era leniency for student loan borrowers. The administration restarted collections in May by withholding tax refunds and other federal payments, after a pause that began in March 2020 under emergency COVID-19 measures. The Biden administration had extended a grace period until this year, but no federal student loans had been referred for collection during the pandemic until Trump's policy changes.

Critics called the wage garnishment policy "cruel, unnecessary, and irresponsible," arguing the administration should focus on helping borrowers find affordable payment options rather than seizing wages. The Student Borrower Protection Center said the move comes as "families across the country are struggling with stagnant wages and an affordability crisis," while millions more borrowers face potential default.

President Trump announced the U.S. launched "powerful and deadly" airstrikes against Islamic State-linked militants in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day, using 16 GPS-guided missiles and MQ-9 Reaper drones launched from the Gulf of Guinea. The strikes targeted camps run by the Lakurawa group near Nigeria's border with Niger, an area where IS militants have sought to establish a foothold.

Nigerian officials confirmed the joint operation, saying it targeted "staging grounds by foreign" IS fighters who had infiltrated from the Sahel region. Villagers in Sokoto state reported their homes shaking and the sky glowing red for hours, though no civilian casualties were reported. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar called it a "new phase of an old conflict" and said more strikes could follow.

The airstrikes represent an escalation in a region where the Trump administration has accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from jihadist attacks. Trump has designated Nigeria a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations and previously claimed a "genocide" was being perpetrated, allegations the Nigerian government has rejected while cooperating with U.S. intelligence on counterterrorism operations.

Voters went to the polls Sunday for the first phase of Myanmar's general election since the military seized power in 2021, with the process taking place across three phases through January 25. More than 4,800 candidates from 57 parties are competing, though only six parties have nationwide reach, with the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party expected to dominate.

Critics have dismissed the election as a sham designed to legitimize military rule, noting that major opposition parties are banned and Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy was dissolved in 2023. The 80-year-old former leader remains imprisoned on charges widely viewed as politically motivated, while reports indicate soldiers used threats to compel voter participation in some areas.

The vote occurs amid a brutal civil war that has displaced over 3.6 million people and killed more than 7,600 civilians since the 2021 military takeover. General Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup, is widely expected to assume the presidency after the results are finalized, while Western nations maintain sanctions and neighboring countries like China and Thailand may use the election to justify continued engagement with the military government.

President Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish territory that Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. needs to control. Trump said Landry "understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security" and will advance American interests for "Safety, Security, and Survival."

The appointment signals Trump's continued push for U.S. jurisdiction over the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island, despite opposition from Denmark, a NATO ally, and much of Europe. Trump has not ruled out military force to take control of Greenland, and Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador in August following reports of covert American influence operations on the island.

Landry, who took office as Louisiana governor in January 2024, said serving as envoy would not affect his gubernatorial duties through 2028. The Danish Defense Intelligence Service warned in a recent report that the U.S. is using economic power to "assert its will" and threaten military force, as the Arctic's strategic importance rises amid intensifying conflict between Russia and the West.